He Loved Her Then
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: Somewhere around the tip of Columbia they start sleeping in their car at night. Brian/Mia Fast Five


**Disclaimer: **Not mine, obviously

**A/N: **So, I just saw "Fast Five" last night and it was really awesome. I decided to write this drabble based on a comment that Brian made in the beginning of the movie and how Brian and Mia acted when they got to Rio in the beginning. I just love Brian and Mia, so I had to write a little story for them. The only information I have on the geography came from Google maps, so I hope it's relatively accurate. This story is for lillelouis, who suggested I write another Brian and Mia story. Thanks for reading, review and let me know what you think and enjoy!

Somewhere around the tip of Columbia they start sleeping in their car at night. Granted, the motels in the area aren't exactly trustworthy, the carpets and sheets are stained and the rooms are hardly secure. At least the doors of the car lock. He sleeps in the front seat and spends the entire night tossing and turning, trying to figure out how to get comfortable long enough to drift off to sleep. It's impossible to find a position where his muscles aren't protesting and he's not practically shoving his feet through the windshield. Every time he hears footsteps anywhere near the car, he's sitting up, peering out into the darkness, making sure there's not someone out there looking for trouble. Even though she protested him giving her the full backseat without so much as a coin toss or rock-paper-scissors match, she seems to have drifted off to sleep with no problem, his jacket over her shoulders and a faint smile on her face. The time he spends not sleeping he uses to watch her as she dreams on the back seat of some car they boosted in Panama.

If the fact that they're sleeping in dilapidated parks under trees bothers her, she doesn't say anything about it. She doesn't say anything about the fact that he gets a worried look in his eyes whenever he pulls out his wallet to pay for gas the car seems to need constantly. She just sits next to him while he drives, chattering about the little villages they past or the cows or the children or whatever she sees, her fingers tickling at the hair on the base of his neck absently. He thinks he loves her most in these moments, when she smiles even though he can tell she's worried and she keeps herself from questioning him.

They head into Brazil, because running south seems to be working out pretty well so far. They are still wanted fugitives but down here people could care less about their standing with the law. No one even gives them a second glance when they wander down dirty streets or park in the most secluded corner of the most secluded park they can find when they just can't drive anymore that day. She still protests every night when he tells her she can sleep in the backseat and he loves her in those moments too.

They both know that they have no plan; they have no idea of where they're going or how they're going to get there when the gas money finally runs out and the car has to be abandoned. He thinks he should start thinking about looking for a job but that would imply settling down somewhere and none of these places seem good enough to keep her in. But being picky about real estate isn't going to seem so important when they can't even feed themselves so he keeps telling himself, the next town they stop in will be the one where he suggests staying, just long enough to get some money in his pocket to keep them going. But they never stop, never talk about it, just eat, sleep and drive on.

They're sitting at a diner in Porto Velho, two black coffees and plate of eggs between them when she looks out the window and says wistfully how she'd like a shower. He thinks she doesn't even realize she makes the comment as she fingers the ends of her dark hair, stringy because of the humidity and the fact that it has been a while since they've both done more than wash their faces and brush their teeth. That's the downside of skipping the motel: the shady parks don't come equipped with showers. Well, this is clearly a problem he's going to have to fix because he can't have people thinking he doesn't know how to take care of his girl.

He pays for the food and takes her hand, pulling her down the street away from where they've parked the car. She laughs when he won't tell her where he's dragging her with such determination on his face and moves closer to him so they're walking with his arm over her shoulder.

They find a motel with a half dozen empty rooms and he breaks into one of them while she stands watch, alternating between chiding him for breaking and entering and talking about how she can't wait to have a shower and wash the dirt off her body. He plans on standing guard outside the bathroom while she indulges but she tells him just to lock the door and pulls him into the shower with her and he doesn't even think about protesting. He doesn't want to. The water is cold by the time they get out and they lay down on top of the bed in nothing but towels and fall asleep before they even realize it.

In Cuiaba, he realizes that it's about to come down to question of whether or not to fill the tank or buy dinner. She's been smiling a lot wider since they've made a habit of breaking into motel rooms to shower and steal the towels and he can't bring himself to mention how dangerously low they've suddenly gotten on money. She obliviously points out a little cantina that looks promising and he tells her he isn't hungry but urges her to order and eat anyway. She only eats half of her food and pushes the plate over in his direction wordlessly and it's just another moment when he realizes how much he loves her. She suggests returning to the motel room they broke into earlier and making use of the empty queen bed just because she's tired of sleeping in the car and she's been noticing how he's constantly wincing and rubbing his muscles, even if she never says anything about it.

He thinks he really loves her in the morning when he wakes up to find her watching some Brazilian game show and a pile of candy bars and little bags of chips sits on the bed behind her. She is a Toretto, after all and she can't have people thinking she can't take care of her man. They leave before the management notices the looted vending machine.

They're still in Cuiaba when she asks him what they're going to do. She tries to do it nonchalantly as they're walking hand-in-hand through a market where vendors are begging passersby to purchase their fruits, vegetables, woven rugs and various other wares. It's the first time she's asked this question since her brother got arrested and she begged him tearfully to think of a plan, a way to help her brother escape twenty-five years in lock-down. "We could turn around," she suggests, "maybe try to find a place in Mexico. Or maybe further north. We could go to Rio de Janeiro."

It is this last suggestion that catches his attention. They both know that turning around is not an option; Mexico is too close to the border where people start to pay attention again and to backtrack would be a waste. Not that they can continue south forever; the continent ends eventually. But still… "Why Rio?" It is a logical destination but something in her tone prompts the question.

She shrugs, fingering a ruffle skirt as they pass. "Dom told me a while ago that he'd heard Vince was living there now." She looks over at him. "It might be a good place to start over, since we already know someone there."

He squares his jaw and shakes his head. "No, forget that, we don't need to fall in with that guy again." He grumbles.

"It might not be a bad idea." She presses, taking his hand. "Just until we think of a plan."

He pulls his hand away and isn't really sure why. "No, Mia, no." He turns away from her when she calls his name and pretends to find a collection of clay pots fascinating in order to ignore the torrent of emotions running through his mind. She had every right to suggest they formulate a plan and suggesting they go somewhere where they know someone who could help them get their foot in the door is a valid idea. But he can't be running to another guy to help him take care of his girl; he should be able to handle these things himself and instead his dragging her throughout South America, trying to see how long they can get by on one meal a day and sleeping in their freaking car. This isn't exactly what he had in mind when he promised Dom he would take care of his sister. This isn't exactly what he had in mind when he mentally promised himself the night of Dom's sentencing that he would take care of Mia; he'd been lying awake beside her, holding her to his chest after she'd finally managed to drift into a fitful sleep and he'd sworn that, even when she had no one else, she would have him. And, no, she's not exactly innocent in the whole situation (there was a warrant with her name on it too) but she shouldn't worrying or formulating plans. He should already have one in in place.

He feels her hand slip into his and when he turns to face her she offers him a tentative smile. "Brian, whatever you want to do is fine with me." And he loves her then.

They're still in Cuiaba when it becomes clear that what little money they have left is going to have to be set aside just for the car or Cuiaba is going to be their permanent place of residence. The car sits in the shade in a park he decided was far less likely to attract the attention of the dregs of society than the others. They share a packet of crackers and don't talk about what they should do next. She doesn't bring up Rio again but he knows it's still on her mind and he wonders when it's time to swallow his pride and agree to make the drive. He's never been so reluctant to get behind the wheel before.

The first time she wakes him up by wrenching open the door and managing to stick her head out in time to avoid throwing up all over the backseat is days after they've realized that Cuiaba might be the end of the line and he plans on getting up in a few hours to look for work. They haven't eaten anything but crackers and a candy bar in three days and when he hears her throwing up he feels himself panic because that has to be a bad sign, something has to be wrong with her. She waves him away when he tries to fuss over her but doesn't turn him down when he offers to sit in the backseat with her until she falls back asleep, which she does, with her head in his lap and his fingers in her hair.

Someone tells him if he wants to find work Cuiaba isn't the place but maybe Goiania so off they go and he's only too aware that from Goiania there really isn't anywhere to go but Rio. He has to stop the car several times during the trip so she can throw up on the side of the road, her face sweaty and tears in the corners of her eyes. When he insists they stop somewhere to eat (he'll wash dishes, he'll repaint the place, he'd probably give up the car if it would get her something to eat), she insists she isn't hungry and she still looks a little green so he decides to believe her. But he does walk a mile and a half back the way they just came to get her a bottle of water from a gas station. He pockets a chocolate bar when the cashier isn't looking and she smiles brightly when he gives it to her.

In Goiania, they find a motel with a lock that's easy to pick and sleep in a bed for the first time in a week and a half and she presses herself close against him, her fingers in the hair on the back of his neck. He tells her he loves her then and smiles to himself when she murmurs his name in her sleep.

The day he goes off to try his luck with the businesses in the area, she goes to a supermarket and takes a pregnancy test in the bathroom and slips out before the cashier notices the sleight of hand. She sits in the car and cries but once her tears are gone a strange feeling of hope settles over her and she doesn't feel as afraid as she thinks maybe she should. She goes to a pay phone and calls collect until she finally manages to track down someone who knows exactly where Vince is and after a few moments of debate she decides to not to place the call. She can't do that to him, not when he was so optimistic about his prospects that morning. But she keeps Vince's number tucked safely in her pocket. Just in case.

The motel they slept in the night before is barely up and running so no one bothers to check on the vacant rooms. He comes back that night to find her lying on the bed, face wane and her cheeks and forehead sticky with sweat. "Should you go to a doctor?" He questions, worried, as he curls up beside her.

She just shakes her head and asks him what he found today. He is ashamed to admit that he has no good news to give her. He promises he'll find something, he'll hound everyone in town until they give him a chance.

"We could go to Rio." She says again, looking at him evenly. She's begging him with her eyes but not with her words. "I know we could find something there. Settle down. Call Dom, be a family again."

He frowns and shakes his head. "We can make it work here." He assures her, his pride refusing to admit that there's nothing for them here.

She sits up, pulling away from him. "Is this your idea of making it work, Brian?" She doesn't know why she yells at him but she does. "We haven't eaten in days, we're sleeping in a bed with sheets that probably haven't been washed in months and we had to break into this room in the first place. How long is this going to go on? I'm not going to do this forever." She gets off the bed and storms out of the room before he can stop her.

He paces the room until she comes back. He knows that she's right, that refusing to admit that he needs help isn't worth losing her over. And now she's out there, all alone and he's just standing around waiting for her to get back. He promises that same promise all over again, to take care of her no matter what he has to do.

She comes back a little over an hour later and he thinks it's unfair how happy he is to see her. "Mia, thank God. Listen, I'm-" He moves toward her, planning to pull her into his arms but she holds up a hand and stops him.

"I'm going to Rio. I talked to Vince, he said there's room for us." She puts a hand on her stomach and he worries she's going to be sick again. "Brian, I love you. I want you to come with me but I can't do this anymore. I'm going to Rio whether you want to come or not." Her voice trembles a little and she takes a breath to steady herself.

His stomach flips over at her ultimatum but it's not like he has to think about it. "I'm not going to leave you, baby." He promises and relief washes across her face. "If that's where you want to go, that's where we'll go."

She throws her arms around his shoulders and he holds her close and she makes this satisfied little sound in the back of her throat that makes him hold her closer. Standing in the doorway of this probably-should-be-condemned motel, he realizes that he's never loved her more,


End file.
